“Yes,” said Jonathan.

“Thank God.”

Jonathan gestured toward the house. “There are two men inside.”

“Dead?”

Jonathan nodded. Von Daniken considered this. He looked at Emma. “Who are you?”

“You’ll know soon enough,” she said.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” said the policeman.

“I can take care of her,” said Jonathan.

Von Daniken ran a hand over the bullet holes puncturing the hood. He tossed a set of car keys to Jonathan. “It’s a blue VW. I left it in back of the command house. Take it and get out of here.”

“Thank you,” said Emma.

“You owe me.” The Swiss turned and walked haltingly toward the house.

More police cars were arriving by the second. A helicopter swooped low and hovered overhead, its spotlight trained on the scene.

Jonathan reached into the car and lifted his wife into his arms.

“My name’s Jonathan,” he said.

“My name’s Cary. Nice to meet you.”

He turned and carried her down the hill.

EPILOGUE

The planes of Israel’s 69 Squadron attacked at dawn. They came in low over the water beneath Iranian radar. The newly installed antiaircraft systems had only seconds to see them. By the time the first missiles were launched, it was too late. The bombs struck their target with deadly accuracy. In minutes, sixteen conventionally armed bunker busters had completed their job. The missile facility at Karshun on the Persian Gulf had been wiped from the map. Deep inside a fortified weapons magazine ten meters below ground, the four Kh-55 cruise missiles, each armed with a ten-kiloton nuclear warhead, were obliterated.

Operation Nightingale was a success.

Inside the prime minister’s office, the relief was palpable, if temporary. The state of Israel no longer had to worry about being annihilated without warning. The threat to its existence had been quelled, its borders secured. For the moment.

In the wake of the attack, evidence about the true nature of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was made public. World leaders roundly condemned the Islamic Republic and called for an immediate cessation of its nuclear enrichment program. The United States went a step further and issued an ultimatum calling on Teheran to turn over all of its weapons-grade uranium within seventy-two hours or else risk a military reprisal. The government in Teheran waffled, but finally acceded to the demands rather than risk a repeated embarrassment.

Only Zvi Hirsch knew the identity of the person who had provided his country the detailed information about Iran’s entire nuclear program and caused the raid to be diverted from Chalus to Karshun. And he wasn’t telling.

As he crossed the street from the prime minister’s residence, he tossed the small flash drive in his hand.

It was amazing what these computer wizards could do.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A number of individuals gave generously of their time to help with the writing of this book. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Doug Fischer, Special Agent with the California Department of Justice, Andreas Tobler and Andreas Janka of the Graubunden Kantonspolizei, Juerg Siegfried Buehler of the Swiss Federal Police, Hansueli Brunner, the finest mountain guide in Switzerland (and, I’m proud to say, my cousin), Gary Schroen, Nick Paumgarten, Jack Shaw, Arnaud de Borchgrave, and others in the intelligence community who because of their positions do not wish to be named.

At Doubleday, I would like to thank my editor, Stacy Creamer, for her enthusiasm, insight, and support. Also, my thanks go to Bill Thomas, John Pitts, Todd Doughty, Alison Rich, Suzanne Herz, and Janet Cooke. Finally, I want to give a special thank-you to Steve Rubin, who sets the standard for class in the publishing industry.

There are several persons who deserve a longer mention. Foremost is my agent, Richard Pine, who stood by me every step of the way during the writing of this book. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for his devotion to the manuscript, his criticism and suggestions, and, mostly, his tireless encouragement. It’s not an exaggeration to say that an author is only as good as his agent, and I am blessed to be represented by the very best. Richard, thank you.

Elisa Petrini of InkWell Management was another key member of the Rules “team.” Elisa is a fantastic reader and editor. I can’t thank her enough for her many invaluable insights during the shaping of the manuscript.

Also at InkWell, I’d like to thank Susan Hobson, Libby O’Neill, and of course, Michael Carlisle and Kim Witherspoon.

In England, my thanks go to Peter Robinson.

Last, and most important, I want to thank my wife, Sue, and my daughters, Noelle and Katja, for their love and support. You make it all worthwhile. I have to point out that Sue is an early reader of all my work. I rely heavily on her judgment about whether a book works or not (and frankly on just about everything). If I don’t say it enough at home, “Thank you, sweetheart, for showing the interest and taking the time.”

Christopher Reich